Free RBT Mock Exam 2026 – Timed Practice Test with Answers

Reviewed by a BCBA · RBT Exam 3.0 (3rd Edition) · Free — no sign-up

Take free RBT mock exams and full-length RBT practice tests for the Registered Behavior Technician certification — all written and reviewed by a BCBA and fully aligned with the RBT Task List 3rd Edition (Exam 3.0) for 2026. Start with the free 15-question quick check below, then pick the full practice exam that fits your stage.

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Created by Linsday Sherry

RBT Practice Quiz — 15 Questions

A fast read on where you stand: 15 questions across all six RBT domains, with an explanation after every answer. 80% is your target score, and it takes about 10 minutes.

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1. A client suddenly begins aggression that poses a real risk of injury, and the behavior plan includes a crisis protocol. What is the RBT's best response?

A. Keep running teaching trials so aggression isn't reinforced

B. Follow the written crisis protocol to keep everyone safe, then document and tell the supervisor

C. Leave the room without telling anyone

D. Do whatever feels right in the moment and skip the plan

Correct answer: Follow the written crisis protocol to keep everyone safe, then document and tell the supervisor. Safety comes first, and the plan already says how: follow the written crisis procedures, then document and notify your supervisor.
Why the other options are wrong: Continuing trials ignores the danger, improvising abandons the plan, and leaving without communicating puts the client at risk. Build your readiness with the full 85-question practice exam and the RBT study guide.

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2. Mid-session, a caregiver mentions the child started a new medication last night and seems drowsy today. What should the RBT do?

A. Document the caregiver's report and notify the supervisor

B. End the session early

C. Advise the caregiver to stop the medication

D. Ignore it — medication isn't an RBT's concern

Correct answer: Document the caregiver's report and notify the supervisor. A new medication is a variable that can affect behavior and progress, so you document the report and pass it up to your supervisor.
Why the other options are wrong: Advising on medication is far outside the RBT scope, ignoring it misses a key variable, and ending early isn't warranted. Spot reportable variables in the Documentation & Reporting quiz.

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3. An RBT places two toys in front of a child, records which one is chosen, and rotates the pairs so each toy is compared against the others. Which assessment is this?

A. Paired-stimulus (forced-choice) assessment

B. Free-operant preference assessment

C. Single-stimulus assessment

D. Multiple-stimulus without replacement (MSWO)

Correct answer: Paired-stimulus (forced-choice) assessment. Two items per trial with rotated pairings is a paired-stimulus (forced-choice) preference assessment.
Why the other options are wrong: Free-operant observes free engagement, single-stimulus presents one item at a time, and MSWO removes the chosen item and re-presents the rest. Review your assessment role in the Behavior Assessment quiz.

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4. A student tantrums to escape difficult worksheets, and the RBT removes the worksheet the moment the tantrum starts. What is the likely effect on tantrums?

A. They stay exactly the same

B. They are permanently extinguished

C. They decrease through punishment

D. They increase through negative reinforcement

Correct answer: They increase through negative reinforcement. Removing the aversive worksheet right after the tantrum negatively reinforces tantrums, making them more likely in future.
Why the other options are wrong: Nothing here punishes or extinguishes the tantrum — escape was granted, which strengthens it. Practice function-based thinking in the Behavior Reduction quiz.

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5. An RBT teaches handwashing by first teaching the final step (drying hands), then adding earlier steps one at a time, backward. Which method is this?

A. Forward chaining

B. Total-task presentation

C. Backward chaining

D. Shaping

Correct answer: Backward chaining. Starting with the last step and working backward through the task analysis is backward chaining.
Why the other options are wrong: Forward chaining starts with the first step, total-task runs the whole chain each time, and shaping reinforces successive approximations of a single behavior. See the Behavior Acquisition quiz.

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6. Two RBTs independently record the same behavior at the same time so their data can be compared. What are they checking?

A. Interobserver agreement (IOA)

B. Treatment integrity

C. Client preference

D. Social validity

Correct answer: Interobserver agreement (IOA). Comparing two observers' independent records measures interobserver agreement (IOA) — a key check that the data are reliable.
Why the other options are wrong: Treatment integrity is whether the plan was implemented correctly, social validity is how acceptable goals/procedures are, and preference is what the client likes. Review measurement in the Data Collection & Graphing quiz.

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7. A friend who personally knows one of the RBT's clients asks how the child's therapy is going. What should the RBT do?

A. Share only the positive updates

B. Share general progress since the friend knows the family

C. Decline to share any client information, citing confidentiality

D. Confirm whether the child is improving overall

Correct answer: Decline to share any client information, citing confidentiality. Client confidentiality is absolute, no matter who's asking or what they already know — you don't confirm, deny, or share anything.
Why the other options are wrong: Sharing "general" or "positive" updates, or even confirming progress, all breach confidentiality. One of the most-tested areas — practice in the RBT Ethics quiz.

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8. A child sees a dog and says "dog" just to earn the therapist's praise — not because they want anything. Which verbal operant is this?

A. Tact

B. Intraverbal

C. Echoic

D. Mand

Correct answer: Tact. Labeling something in the environment for social reinforcement (praise) is a tact.
Why the other options are wrong: A mand is a request driven by motivation, an echoic repeats what was heard, and an intraverbal responds to someone else's language. More verbal operants in the Behavior Acquisition quiz.

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9. A plan reinforces a student only when they ask for help 2 or fewer times in 15 minutes; if they ask more, reinforcement is withheld. Which procedure is this?

A. DRI

B. DRO

C. DRA

D. DRL

Correct answer: DRL. Reinforcing a lower (but not zero) rate of a behavior that's acceptable in moderation is DRL — differential reinforcement of low rates.
Why the other options are wrong: DRO reinforces zero occurrences, DRA reinforces a replacement behavior, and DRI reinforces an incompatible behavior. The DR family trips up many candidates — drill it in the Behavior Reduction quiz.

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10. Which of the following is written correctly for an RBT session note?

A. "Liam was lazy and defiant today."

B. "Liam didn't care about the work."

C. "Liam left his seat 6 times during the 20-minute math task."

D. "Liam had a bad attitude."

Correct answer: "Liam left his seat 6 times during the 20-minute math task.". Professional notes use objective, observable, measurable language — what happened and how many times.
Why the other options are wrong: The other options are subjective labels and assumptions about mood, which don't belong in a session note. Practice in the Documentation & Reporting quiz.

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11. A child hasn't eaten since breakfast, and that afternoon a snack works powerfully as a reinforcer. What does this illustrate?

A. A discriminative stimulus

B. An establishing operation

C. An abolishing operation

D. Extinction

Correct answer: An establishing operation. Deprivation is an establishing operation — it temporarily raises the value of a reinforcer and the behavior that earns it.
Why the other options are wrong: An abolishing operation would lower the value (like satiation), an SD signals reinforcement is available, and extinction withholds reinforcement. See the Behavior Assessment quiz.

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12. At the end of services, a grateful family offers the RBT an expensive watch as a thank-you gift. What should the RBT do?

A. Politely decline, explain the professional guidelines on gifts, and inform the supervisor

B. Accept it so the family isn't offended

C. Accept it but keep it private

D. Decline and stop working with the family

Correct answer: Politely decline, explain the professional guidelines on gifts, and inform the supervisor. You decline graciously, explain the professional boundary, and report the offer to your supervisor.
Why the other options are wrong: Accepting a significant gift — even quietly — creates a conflict of interest, and refusing to serve the family over a kind gesture is a huge overreaction. Sharpen boundaries in the RBT Ethics quiz.

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13. During discrete-trial teaching with a least-to-most prompt hierarchy, the learner makes an error. What is the RBT's next step?

A. Repeat the instruction more loudly

B. End the trial and move on

C. Immediately deliver a full physical prompt

D. Provide the next, slightly more supportive prompt level

Correct answer: Provide the next, slightly more supportive prompt level. Least-to-most means you step up one prompt level at a time, using the least intrusive prompt that gets a correct response.
Why the other options are wrong: Jumping to a full physical prompt skips the hierarchy, ending the trial teaches nothing, and simply repeating louder isn't a prompt. Drill teaching procedures in the Behavior Acquisition quiz.

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14. A learner's screaming is placed on extinction for attention. In the first session the screaming gets louder and lasts longer before it improves. What is happening, and what should the RBT do?

A. Give brief attention to calm the learner

B. Switch to a different plan right away

C. It's an extinction burst — keep the plan as written and document it

D. The plan failed — stop using extinction

Correct answer: It's an extinction burst — keep the plan as written and document it. A temporary spike in intensity right after extinction begins is a classic extinction burst — it's expected, and the correct move is to continue the plan and document it.
Why the other options are wrong: Stopping or switching abandons a working procedure too early, and giving attention now would reinforce the very behavior you're reducing. More practice in the Behavior Reduction quiz.

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15. An RBT is counting how many times a student leaves their seat, but the teacher wants to compare behavior across class periods that are different lengths. Which measure should the RBT report?

A. Duration of each time out of seat

B. Latency to the first time they leave

C. Total count for the session

D. Rate (responses per minute)

Correct answer: Rate (responses per minute). Rate divides the count by time, so periods of different lengths can be compared fairly — exactly what the teacher needs.
Why the other options are wrong: Total count ignores how long the period was; latency measures the delay before the first occurrence; duration measures how long each one lasts, not how often. Review this in the Data Collection & Graphing quiz.

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Choose Your RBT Practice Exam

Every test below is free, aligned with the RBT Task List (3rd Edition), and built to reflect the Pearson VUE format. Pick by length, difficulty, or topic.

Full-Length Mock Exams

• 85-Question RBT Practice Exam — ★ Most complete. The full-length, 90-minute timed simulation with a complete answer review and explanations — the closest thing to real test day.
• 75-Question RBT Practice Test — Matches the scored portion of the real exam.
• Full RBT Mock Exam — A complete exam-day simulation under real conditions.
• Pearson VUE-Style Questions — Practice in the exact format you’ll test in.

Quick & Leveled Practice Tests

• Scenario-Based Practice Test — Train the applied, situational-judgment questions.
• 25-Question Practice Test — A quick checkpoint across all six domains.
• Beginner Practice Test — New to ABA? Start gentler here.
• Intermediate Practice Test — Step up the difficulty as you improve.
• Expert Test (50 Questions) — The hardest set, for final-stage prep.
• Competency Assessment Practice — Prepare for the hands-on competency requirement.

Practice by Domain

• Data Collection & Graphing — Measurement, IOA, graphing.
• Behavior Assessment — Preference assessments, your FBA role.
• Behavior Acquisition — DTT, prompting, chaining.
• Behavior Reduction — Differential reinforcement, extinction.
• Documentation & Reporting — Session notes, scope, reporting.
• Ethics & Professionalism — Scope, confidentiality, boundaries.

Study Resources

• RBT Study Guide — Concept review across all six domains.
• All Practice Exams — Browse every test in one place.

What Is the RBT Exam?

The Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) exam is the certification test administered by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) through Pearson VUE. It contains 85 multiple-choice questions — 75 scored and 10 unscored pilot questions — with a 90-minute time limit, and it’s based on the BACB RBT Task List (3rd Edition), the standard in effect for 2026. The exam emphasizes applied judgment: most questions describe a real situation and ask for the best action, not a definition.

That’s exactly what these free RBT mock exams are built to train. Working through full-length practice exams under realistic conditions prepares you for the content, the format, and the pacing — the three things that decide test day.

What Is the RBT Exam 3.0 (3rd Edition)?

The RBT Exam 3.0 is the current version of the Registered Behavior Technician exam, based on the BACB RBT Task List 3rd Edition, in effect for 2026. It replaced the earlier 2nd Edition exam and reflects updated job responsibilities for RBTs working in applied behavior analysis. Every practice exam and mock test on this site is built specifically for the 3rd Edition (Exam 3.0), so what you practice matches what you’ll face on test day. Key points about the RBT Exam 3.0:

• Based on the RBT Task List (3rd Edition) — the current standard for 2026 and beyond.
• 85 multiple-choice questions — 75 scored plus 10 unscored pilot questions, in 90 minutes.
• Six domains — measurement, assessment, skill acquisition, behavior reduction, documentation, and ethics.
• Applied focus — most questions are scenario-based and ask for the best action, not a definition.

Why Practice With The RBT Mock Exam?

• Written and reviewed by a BCBA — questions reflect real clinical reasoning, not filler.
• Aligned with the RBT Task List (3rd Edition) — current for the 2026 exam, across all six domains.
• Genuinely free — no sign-up, no email, no trial, no upgrade.
• Explanations on every question — you learn why an answer is right, not just whether you got it.
• A full path — from quick quizzes to a timed 85-question simulation, plus a study guide to fill gaps.

How to Use This Site to Pass

Take the 15-question quick check above to find your starting point. From there, drill your weakest domains with the topic quizzes and the RBT study guide, build difficulty through the scenario-based and 25-question tests, and confirm you’re ready with the full-length 85-question practice exam. When you can clear 80% on the full exam across two separate sittings, you’re ready to schedule the real thing.

Exam-day tip: when two answers both look right, the exam wants the BEST one. Rule out anything that has an RBT stepping outside their scope — diagnosing, deciding a behavior’s function, or changing a plan — and choose the option that follows the protocol and involves the supervisor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these RBT practice exams really free?

Yes — every practice exam, mock test, and topic quiz on this site is completely free. There’s no sign-up, no email required, no trial, and no paid upgrade. Every question includes an explanation.

How many questions are on the real RBT exam?

The RBT exam has 85 multiple-choice questions: 75 are scored and 10 are unscored pilot questions. You get 90 minutes, delivered through Pearson VUE at a test center or via online proctoring.

What score do I need to pass the RBT exam?

The BACB uses scaled scoring rather than a fixed percentage, so there’s no published pass mark. As a practical benchmark, aim to score 80% or higher consistently on full-length practice exams before scheduling the real test.

Are these the same as the real RBT exam questions?

No. The actual exam questions are confidential. These are original questions written by a BCBA to match the style, difficulty, and content distribution of the real exam — the most effective and legal way to prepare.

Are these practice exams updated for the RBT 3rd Edition (Exam 3.0)?

Yes. Every mock exam, practice test, and quiz on this site is aligned with the BACB RBT Task List 3rd Edition — the current RBT Exam 3.0 standard for 2026 — across all six domains.

Which practice test should I start with?

Start with the 15-question quick check at the top of this page. Based on your result, move to the topic quizzes and study guide for weak areas, then work up to the full 85-question practice exam.

Is this website affiliated with the BACB or Pearson VUE?

No. The RBT Mock Exam is an independent study resource based on publicly available BACB guidelines and the RBT Task List (3rd Edition). It is not sponsored or endorsed by the BACB or Pearson VUE.

Reviewed by Lindsay Sherry, BCBA

Questions and study content on this site are written and reviewed by Lindsay Sherry, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with hands-on experience supervising and training RBTs. Last reviewed: October 30, 2026.

Registered Behavior Technician® (RBT®) is a registered trademark of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc.® (BACB®). The RBT Mock Exam is not sponsored by, endorsed by, or affiliated with the BACB®.